This is Home

There was another War council a few days later. However, only about half of the army had shown up, for the other half needed to guard the forest. Since it was growing more and more dangerous with Telmarines trespassing to spy on them, they’d made up the idea that there had to be guards.

It was a dark, damp night, and what army could attend the meeting all sat around a giant, blazing campfire. They sat facing the direction of Peter and Caspian, who were now in charge of the army.

“Now we don’t know how we’re going to go about this,” Peter sighed, his forehead resting in his palms. “Miraz has these giant weapons—like cannonballs, Ed, like when you said Cair Paravel had been ruined.”

“My ancestors did often use those,” Caspian added, glad to know that he’d learned that fact in his lessons, and Cornelius agreed as well.

“How are we going to get around that? We have fine blacksmiths, and everyone knows how to handle a sword, or a bow and arrow,” Peter continued. “I think we’re done for.”

“We need Aslan!” Lucy suggested, and tears formed in her eyes.

“He’s not here, he’s not coming,” Peter replied bitterly. “I wish he could. I... I don’t know if he will. Nobody knows, Lu. I’m sorry.”

Lucy crawled into the arms of her older sister, who stroked her hair soothingly.

They were all silent for a moment, until they heard a distant voice. Or, more distant voices, as they leaned in many directions to try to hear who or what were shouting.

Two of the voices were Nikabrik and Trumpkin, and the third was unrecognizable. Well, Caspian recognized it, and Cornelius may have. But Caspian’s heart beat faster as the voices drew closer.

“Who is there?” he called, the first one to speak into the night.

Soon, Nikabrik and Trumpkin were seen, walking with something in tow. It was a person, but nobody could see who it was in the darkness.

“It’s us, your highness!” Trumpkin called. “We found someone in the forest!”

And when they approached the campfire, the person with the two dwarfs was visible: she had long, wavy brown hair that went to her waist, her clothes were ripped, and Trumpkin and Nikabrik had tied a cloth around her mouth so she could not speak. Tear stains were visible on her cheeks, and there was dirt on her face and on her clothes; struggle marks from trying to get away from the dwarfs.

Trumpkin cut the cloth around her mouth, and she began talking instantly.

“I told you! I am not a spy, I said I was a Telmarine! There is a difference!” she cried, struggling out of the ties they’d put on her wrists. “I said I was a friend of Caspian’s!”

“Well, we will see if Prince Caspian knows you,” Nikabrik snickered, but Caspian was already standing.

He couldn’t retrieve any words from his brain, not even her name. She was there, standing right there in what was supposed to be the most beautiful gown, but he didn’t know what to say.

“What are you all looking at? I’ve been in the woods for over a damn week, surviving off the food I stole from my wedding, and you are all gawking!” she snapped. “I cannot even ride a horse! Stop that! I know I look horrible!” Half of them turned their heads the other way, but Caspian couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

“E-Estella,” he managed. He straightened his shirt and cursed himself for looking like a mess in front of her, when they haven’t seen each other in what seemed like forever.

Her brown eyes caught on his, and she was suddenly embarrassed for yelling. “C-Caspian?”

“It’s Prince, lady,” Nikabrik warned, flashing his knife. “Any more disrespect I hear and I’ll tear your throat out, girl or not, you’ve got some mouth...”

“No,” Caspian waved a hand to Nikabrik. “She is... she is a friend. She is welcome here.”

“Whatever you say, your majesty,” Trumpkin grunted, and untied Estella. She stood there awkwardly.

“Could someone get her something to eat? Perhaps a drink as well,” Caspian suggested, dropping his gaze to his feet once more.

“I will go,” Cornelius offered, and he stood up, leading Estella towards the How.

Caspian sat back down, but he just couldn’t believe the moments that had just passed. He’d just seen her, right before his eyes, with her hair and her eyes and her lips and her dress and her everything. It just couldn’t be.

“Excuse me,” Caspian breathed, quickly heading away from the fire. Peter was in the middle of a sentence, but he just needed to get away from everything for a while and rethink what was going to happen.